Wednesday, 21 August 2013

An outspoken Estonian politician has a message for would-be immigrants: “If you’re black, go back.”
Martin Helme, a board member for the Conservative People’s Party, was
speaking about immigration policies on a television show in Tallinn,
when he said he wants Estonia to remain a “white country,” and that an
influx of immigrants would lead to the “pillaging and raping” of
Estonian towns.

The English-language ERR, an Estonian public broadcasting service, reported
the story on Wednesday, stating that Helme’s comments stemmed from
concerns that Estonia could see civil unrest similar to elsewhere in
Europe, where migration from African nations such as Algeria, Morocco
and Cameroon has skyrocketed over the past four decades.
Tensions between immigrants and authorities have increased in the
wake of Europe’s economic downturn, which has lessened prospects for the
thousands of Africans who migrate to Europe each year in search of a
better life. In Sweden last week, riots
broke out in Stockholm after police shot 69-year-old Portuguese
immigrant who had lived in the country for 30 years. It was the third
time that riots have broken out in the country in the last five years.
Helme, ERR reports, wants to avoid similar problems in Estonia before
they start.
“Estonia shouldn’t allow things to go as far as in England, France
and Sweden,” Helme reportedly said. “Our immigration policy should have
one simple rule: If you’re black, go back. As simple as that. We
shouldn't allow this problem to emerge in the first place.”
The 37-year-old Helme formerly worked for the Estonian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the Open Estonia Foundation, according to his profile
on the conservative Brussels Journal, where he kept a right-leaning
blog on social and economic issues facing Europe. In Estonia, he has a
reputation for xenophobic viewpoints, at least based on Twitter responses to his latest comments.
Formerly known as the People’s Union -- a center-right, pro-business
party in the 1990s -- the Conservative People’s Party once had the
largest membership in Estonia. However, support for the party waned
significantly following a series of leadership scandals. Today the party
is supported by only about 3 percent of the country and is not even
represented in Estonia’s parliament, according to ERR.
Meanwhile, Helme is not backing down from his stance. Asked about his comments by the Estonian newspaper Postimees, the politician said he should be free to discuss his beliefs on immigration without political correctness getting in the way.